Breakfast for dinner all grown up, more than just pancakes

To follow this recipe in images, see our photojournalism blog, Exposure, for a photoessay by Scout MacEachron.

There's something about eating breakfast for dinner that reminds me of simpler times, when my days were filled with cartoon-watching and hide-and-seek, instead of term papers and problematizing theoretical frameworks. While buttermilk pancakes and chocolate chip waffles are both delicious options for this indulgent meal-reversal, I decided to go with a more "grown up" option—a frittata, sweet potato hash, arugula pesto and some mixed greens. It's not that I'm trying to belittle the sweeter options, it's just that I trust more of you are comfortable whipping together some Bisquick than knowing the ins and outs of frittata creation. And though I've chosen to devise this meal as a dinner, it would be just as delectable when eaten for breakfast, lunch, brunch or linner (my special meal-time).

Besides being utterly scrumptious and satisfying, frittatas are a wonderful way to make use of leftover items or vegetables you don't know what else to do with. Basically crust-less quiches, frittatas are Italian omelets that are not folded, but instead baked and sliced. You can really put anything you want in your frittata—a wide array of meats, vegetables and cheeses—but this week I decided to keep it vegetarian. I used onions, kale, spinach, tomatoes and a little bit of sharp provolone cheese. The tomatoes are an out-of-season cheat, but I couldn't resist the bright red to contrast with the golden yellow of the eggs and the deep green of the kale and spinach. Kale is a vegetable that people tend to scoff at, believing it's best suited to decorate the iced bowls on a salad bar, but it is surprisingly delicious and filled with antioxidants; it provides more vitamin K than your body needs in a week, has lots of vitamin A and even contains some calcium. Combined with the spinach, this frittata packs a healthy punch that your friends would never know is hidden underneath the tastiness of the fluffy eggs.

I began with onions because they really do make everything taste better, and I topped it with some shredded provolone to give it a rich, golden brown crust (and, provolone was on sale). The real secret to a good frittata is a trustworthy pan. Though I advocate non-stick for most things egg-related, your frittata needs to go in the oven; so, if your non-stick isn't oven-safe, it just won't cut it for this dish. Ideally, you should use a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan. If you don't have one, you can make the entire frittata on the stove, but it will be difficult to get the desired crust on top.

I paired the frittata with a sweet potato, broccoli and gruyere hash because, in my mind, no breakfast is complete without potatoes. Hash is basically a generic name for diced ingredients that cook for a long while into a wonderful mash of flavor. I'm a big sweet potato fan because they have more flavor and are better for you than regular potatoes—a rare combination in the culinary world. The broccoli adds a textural and color contrast and just a little bit of gruyere (literally) ties the entire dish together. As far as the pesto in this dish, I make pesto with arugula in the fall because it's much more plentiful than basil, but just as good. Of course it's peppery compared with basil's sweetness, but both pestos can be employed similarly, and I find that complementing a frittata with pesto brings it into the realm of extraordinary. Adding a small green salad rounds out the meal and makes it clear that you are eating dinner (or lunch, brunch or linner), and not a rushed, early morning breakfast.

It should also be known that this is the least expensive recipe I've submitted to date, yet it yielded the most food and left my housemates just as satisfied as any other. I barely spent $17, and this meal could easily be done more cheaply. If you wake up on a Sunday morning and prepare your house a frittata, I'm sure your housemates will let you escape bathroom-duty for another week (and it only took you 20 minutes).

 

Grocery List

Field Greens         $0.96
Sweet Potatoes        $2.03
Provolone Cheese    $2.00
Gruyere Cheese    $1.84
Boice Bros. Whole Milk    $0.99
Tomatoes        $0.97
1/2 dozen eggs        $1.10
Onions            $1.10
Arugula        $1.49
Kale            $0.73
Spinach         $1.31
Broccoli        $2.79

Total            $17.30

Spinach, Kale and Tomato Frittata

1 T olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup chopped spinach
6 eggs
1 c. whole milk
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. shredded sharp provolone cheese (or cheddar, or swiss, or brie, or anything really)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until they soften.

Add the kale and spinach; reduce the heat to medium, and sauté for another 3 minutes or so, until the greens begin to wilt. Make sure you salt your greens well.  If you're using a stainless steel pan and are worried about eggs sticking to it, you can remove the vegetables at this point and hit the pan with a bit of cooking spray or more oil.  After that, you should put the vegetables back in the pan.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir until the greens are dispersed throughout.

Add the tomatoes and top with the shredded cheese.

Carefully place the entire pan into the preheated oven, on a rack close to the top. 

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the eggs have just set (you can check this by taking the pan—with a pot-holder or towel—and giving it a slight shake.  You don't want to see the eggs wiggle).

When the eggs have set, turn on the broiler and broil the top for about 60 seconds, until it is golden brown.

To serve, carefully place a triangular wedge of the frittata on a plate and top it with some arugula pesto (recipe follows) and some mixed greens tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli and Gruyere Hash

2 T olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
3 large sweet potatoes, diced into ½ inch pieces
2 large crowns of broccoli, chopped into small florets
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. shredded gruyere cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add the onions and garlic, season with a little salt, and sauté five minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Add the sweet potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes more, stirring every minute or so.  You don't want to stir too much, because you want to allow the sweet potatoes and onions to get a little crispy.

Add the broccoli and a little more salt, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.  What you are looking for is a mash of softened vegetables that all meld together.  If your sweet potatoes are cut bigger, they will take longer to cook, so be sure you taste the sweet potatoes to ensure doneness.  Also, if the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, you can add 1/4 c. of water to loosen it a bit.

When all of the vegetables in the hash are fully cooked, add the cheese, stir and serve immediately.


Note: I feel that I should use this opportunity to clear up the age-old sweet potato vs. yam debate.  What are commonly referred to as yams in this country are actually sweet potatoes.  Yams are an entirely different vegetable that is grown primarily in Africa, usually deep brown in color, and must be cooked for a long period of time to remove the toxins.  Though "yam" has become synonymous with "sweet potato" in America, they really are two separate vegetables with very little in common.

Arugula Pesto

1 clove garlic
1 T pine nuts
2 c. arugula
1 t salt
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. olive oil

In a food processor or blender, chop the garlic and pine nuts.

Add the arugula and a drizzle of olive oil and continue to chop.  Scrape down the sides to bring the entire mixture to the bottom.

Now, with the food processor running, slowly pour the rest of the olive oil into it, until a deep green, thick paste forms.  You can add more or less olive oil to achieve your desired consistency.

Pour the pesto into a bowl, and stir in the salt and parmesan cheese.